In another era, this might not seem like a newsworthy letter. But now it is, and so allow me to present a note I got the other day: Dear Free-Range Kids: My name is Jessica. I’m a 17 year old that’s passionate about changing the things (laws, culture, rules, etc) our culture does to stifle the independence of our youth. If you have the time, I would appreciate your advice and guidance about what I can do to help and support the cause. I just moved out of Florida to New York City and am looking to branch out into…
Author: lskenazy
Dad Shawn Dawson, of Albany, OR, came up with the perfect present for his littlest girl: Dear Free-Range Kids: My daughter had her birthday last weekend, and in the weeks leading up to it she has expressed an interest in both whittling and archery. Well figuring that at age 8 it was time she learned a bit more about safely handling a knife, one present I purchased for her was a very small, pink, swiss army knife. It’s quite small, but will serve the purpose of teaching her how a knife is a tool (it also has tweezers, scissors, nail…
Hey Readers — I got this very honest note today: Hey there. My name is J. and I am currently 16 so I’m a bit biased. I briefly skimmed the comments and would like to say that I love the Free-Range concept. All I know is that there is something wrong with the idea of a 16 year old (myself) not knowing how to take a bus. Forget the subway. I was never taught this and can’t bring myself to risk getting lost. To which I responded: Actually, it will be GREAT if you get lost. Then you’ll get yourself…
Readers — Right now it is a crime in Ohio to hire a kid under 14, without his/her parents’ permission, to do anything for you, including rake your lawn. The idea, as always, is to keep kids safe from evil adults. But the law smacks of zero tolerance, putting leaf work right up there with a striptease. According to Ohio Public Radio: Jason Romage ran afoul of that law in 2010 when he offered some kids quarters to move boxes into his Columbus apartment. The judge threw the case out, an appeals court agreed and the state went to the…
Wow, Readers — The Keller Youth Association’s football league in North Texas has made a decision of staggering proportions: It will no longer give out trophies to kids just for showing up! Its rationale? Trophies become meaningless when “everybody wins.” Moreover, kids get an unrealistic, indulgent idea of life when they seemingly “succeed” with or without putting in any effort. Some parents, at least in this interview, are upset because — as one says, “They need to be rewarded…at this young age. We want to keep them coming back.” “We” want to keep “them” coming back? Does it get more…
Readers — In response to my mini rant yesterday about coach passengers not being allowed to use the lavatories closer to the front of the plane due to “heightened security” concerns, one commenter sent along this item from techdirt: A leaked (ha ha! Bathrooms? Leak?) TSA document stating: “As of mid-2011, terrorist threat groups present in the Homeland are not known to be actively plotting against civil aviation targets or airports; instead, their focus is on fundraising, recruiting, and propagandizing. In other words, the TSA knows darn well that it is engaging in security theater, and yet it persists, for…
Here it is, from Glenn Garvin at The Miami Herald, “Scared Out of Our Wits by Halloween,” detailing how we can make ANYTHING into a danger — candy, costumes, childhood, fun. An equal opportunity for all different factions to fight for the “safety” of our children!
So I was flying home from L.A. last week and the flight attendant announced, “Due to heightened security, passengers in coach” — yours truly — were expressly forbidden from going to the bathroom that might be closest to us, and required to march to the back instead. Apparently, if we took a few mincing steps forward, bladders full, this could all too easily be construed as rushing the cockpit to execute the pilots and commandeer the plane. Yup. My question: When is security no longer “heightened”? It’s been over a decade since 9/11. Is the answer NEVER? We’re supposed to…
Readers — Tomorrow one of my favorite magazines of all time, Highlights, will unveil the results of its 2013 “State of the Kid” survey. It should be really interesting (and, often, funny). Meantime, here’s a look at the answers to a question I got to suggest for the magazine’s 2011 survey: “What do you think your parents worry about the most?” While a few kids mentioned hard times and family illness, here are some samples of what appeared to be the overwhelming response: “Me because they love me and sometimes they protect me from bad people.” “I think my parents…
Readers — This is a story that makes me ill for three reasons: http://youtu.be/AYFD18BwmJ4 1 – It involves a fantastic, irreparable piece of nature being destroyed. 2 – It involves Scouts. My sons are Scouts (in New York City, where there is no discrimination on the basis of anything!). They have learned so much about appreciating nature, as opposed to knocking it — literally. 3 – “Some little kid was about to walk down here and die. It’s all about saving lives.” That. The scout leaders based their decision on something noble — keeping kids safe. (One account I read…